Larson Financial Group LLC Purchases 56,864 Shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL)

Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Xcel Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:XEL - Free Report) by 492.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,401 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,864 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC's holdings in Xcel Energy were worth $4,618,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Xcel Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Xcel Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Xcel Energy by 566.3% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 593 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on XEL. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Xcel Energy from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $72.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Xcel Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Xcel Energy from $71.00 to $69.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Xcel Energy from $74.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $69.91.

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Xcel Energy Stock Performance

XEL traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $68.00. The company had a trading volume of 3,849,596 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,708,125. The business has a 50-day moving average of $67.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Xcel Energy Inc. has a 1 year low of $49.89 and a 1 year high of $73.38. The company has a market cap of $39.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.37.

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.87 by ($0.06). Xcel Energy had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 14.40%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Xcel Energy Inc. will post 3.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Xcel Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Xcel Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Xcel Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.28%.

Xcel Energy Profile

Xcel Energy Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, purchasing, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. It operates through Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility, and All Other segments. The company generates electricity through wind, nuclear, hydroelectric, biomass, and solar energy sources, as well as coal, natural gas, oil, wood, and refuse-derived fuels.